1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of improved sensor motion (position, velocity, acceleration) accuracy during GPS unavailability using multiple sensors locating a particular geo-target in a common time frame.
2. Description of the Related Art
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is used for ground mapping as well as target identification. The general principle behind SAR is to coherently combine the amplitude and phase information of radar returns from a plurality of sequentially transmitted pulses. These pulses are from a relatively small antenna on a moving platform. As the platform moves, the information contained in the pulses is coherently combined to arrive at a high resolution SAR image.
The plurality of returns creating a SAR image generated by the transmitted pulses along a presumed known path of the platform make up an array. Theoretically, during the array, amplitude as well as phase information returned from each of the pulses, for each of many range bins, is preserved. The SAR image is formed from the coherent combination of the amplitude and phase of return(s) within each range bin, motion compensated for spatial displacement of the moving platform during the acquisition of the returns for the duration of the array.
The clarity of a SAR image is in many respects dependent on the quality of the motion compensation applied to each radar return contributing to the coherent SAR image computation. Motion compensation shifts the phase of each radar sample (typically an I+jQ complex quantity derived from an analog to digital converter) in accordance with the motion in space of the moving platform with respect to a reference point. The SAR imaging process depends on the coherent, phase accurate summing of all radar returns expected within an array. These principles are detailed by W. G. Carrara, R. S. Goodman and R. M. Majewski in Spotlight Synthetic Radar, Boston, Artech House, 1995, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
Thus, the accuracy of the motion compensation for phase coherence applied to each radar A/D sample is critical to SAR imaging. Typically, an inertial navigation system (INS) using accelerometers and gyroscopes derives velocity, acceleration and position information for use in radar motion compensation. The INS is updated from various sources, such as satellite based Global Positioning Systems (GPS) or pre-stored geo registered features of the terrain in the vicinity of the path of the moving radar. Using an INS aided by GPS may subject the GPS to jamming, corrupting the GPS signal. Consequently, the GPS jamming may induce a position error that may manifest itself in certain applications as a blurring of SAR images, reducing SAR utility.
Using a plurality of pre-stored geo registered features (position references) instead of GPS updates of the INS requires added memory and interfacing within the radar, increasing parts count and reducing reliability. The concept of using pre-stored geo registered features for increased position accuracy is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,384, titled On Board Navigation System For An Aerial Craft Including a Synthetic Aperture Sideways Looking Radar issued Jan. 16, 1996 to B. Falconnet and U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,520 titled SAR/GPS Inertial Method of Range Measurement, issued Jul. 11, 1995 to Schneider et al., both incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. An alternative to using pre-stored geo registered features is thus desirable to avoid generating an accurate geo registered feature database, updating it, and interfacing it to a sensor, such as a radar system.